Dearing And Beyond

Focuses on the 14-19 curriculum and qualification debates around the Dearing Review. It identifies the main parameters of this area of policy development for the future and argues strongly for a staged process to reform which ultimately leads to a unified 14-19 qualifications system.

Focuses on the 14-19 curriculum and qualification debates around the Dearing Review. It identifies the main parameters of this area of policy development for the future and argues strongly for a staged process to reform which ultimately leads to a unified 14-19 qualifications system.

Since its introduction over 50 years ago, the A-level has been a constant subject of debate in schools, HE and government. Sometimes hailed as a 'gold standard', there is now intense speculation about the future of the A-level in particular, but also about post-14 qualifications in general. The furore about quality and standards which accompanies each year's A-level results has become an annual fixture in the UK press calendar. With the introduction of Curriculum 2000, and an increasing number of calls for Baccalaureate-style examinations, vocational qualifications and more, the need for serious debate - and change in this field is clear. Based on primary research by two of the leading commentators on the qualifications, this book is a wide-ranging and critical view of the fundamental approaches of the education system in Britain today. With government action on this subject looking inevitable, this will be a challenging and important book for anyone interested in this debate.

A selection of seminal articles from thirty years of the Oxford Review of Education, focusing on the development of educational policy.

Every year the UK A-Level results bring with them the inevitable tide of questions about the quality and standard of the exams: Are they getting easier? Is studying for three or four subjects in great detail right in the modern world? Can standards, and pass rates, be sustained? One option already available to schools and students is the baccalaureate system. With reform of the 'gold-standard' A-level likely, and with qualification reform in Wales and Scotland already a reality, this unique book will be essential reading for anyone who needs to know about the post-16 qualifications debate. Covering national and international approaches, the IBO, curriculum reform,and political and educational imperatives the book including expert contributions by the leading figures in the bac debate from the HE, state and independent-schools sectors, as well as from political and research fields.

14-19 education and training is a complex, fast changing and contested terrain which has been the focus of enormous controversy. This book will help those involved in the education of young people understand the wider context for 14-19 reform, the main dimensions of government policy and how it is likely to affect practice. It also offers alternative views about the way forward. The authors provide a comprehensive and up-to-date account of the emerging 14-19 phase in England, with a focus on A Levels and GCSEs, the 14-19 Diplomas, vocational learning, apprenticeships and institutional collaboration. Drawing on international and historical analysis, recent research and practice, as well as interviews with key policy actors, they set out the case for a more unified and strongly collaborative approach. The book is intended for education practitioners, policy-makers and researchers. It will also be of particular relevance to post-graduate students on PGCE, Masters and Doctoral programmes. The authors are both Readers of Education at the Institute of Education, University of London, and are co-directors of the Nuffield Review of 14-19 Education and Training in England and Wales.

This is the first title in this new series, which is aimed principally at secondary PGCE and BAEd students and school- and HEI-based tutors. Each book provides a digest of the central issues around a particular topic or issues, grounded in or supported by examples of good practice, with suggestions for further reading, study and investigation. The books are not intended as 'how to' books, but rather as books which will help students and teachers to explore and understand critical theoretical issues in ways that are challenging, that invite critical reappraisals of taken-for-granted practices and perceptions, and that provide appropriate links between theory and practice. Issues related to equal opportunities and special needs are included in each separate volume . There are boxes of questions, 'think abouts' , further reading, and bulleted summary lists for the reader. This book is written specifically for teachers-in-training which will clarify the 'big picture' of monitoring and assessment and makes the crucial distinctions in this large (and still taken-for-granted) field. The authors have written widely on assessment matters and have also worked in various capacities for the QCA (and its former manifestations). They are also engagerd in initial teacher education and so know the level and market extremely well.

In this important book the author looks back on the 'knowledge question'. What knowledge gets selected to be validated as school knowledge or as part of the school curriculum, and why is it selected? Looking forward, Young discusses how most developed countries have high levels of participation in post-compulsory education, but still use curricula designed for a time when only the elite pursued further education. He argues the need to rethink post-16 education to shift focus onto vocational education, school-work issues and lifelong learning.